Method of multiplexing uplink control information and related device

ABSTRACT

A method for a UE multiplexing UCI is disclosed. The method comprises grouping physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources for channel state information (CSI) and a scheduling request (SR) with a low priority and PUCCH resources for a slot-based HARQ-ACK into a first group of PUCCH resources, grouping PUCCH resources for CSI and a SR with a high priority and PUCCH resources for a sub-slot based HARQ-ACK into a second group of PUCCH resources, determining a first set of PUCCH resources in a slot from the first group of PUCCH resources, obtaining first multiplexed UCI of a first PUCCH resource by performing a first UCI multiplexing procedure, determining a second set of PUCCH resources in a sub-slot of the slot from the second group of PUCCH resources, and obtaining second multiplexed UCI of a second PUCCH resource by performing a second UCI multiplexing procedure.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present disclosure claims the benefit of and priority to U.S.provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/911,529 filed on Oct. 7,2019, entitled “Method and apparatus for UCI multiplexing,” (hereinafterreferred to as “the '529 provisional”). The disclosure of the '529provisional is hereby incorporated fully by reference into the presentdisclosure.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communications, andmore particularly, to a method of multiplexing uplink controlinformation (UCI) and a related device.

BACKGROUND

With the tremendous growth in the number of connected devices and therapid increase in user/network traffic volume, various efforts have beenmade to improve different aspects of wireless communication for thenext-generation wireless communication system, such as thefifth-generation (5G) New Radio (NR), by improving data rate, latency,reliability, and mobility.

The 5G NR system is designed to provide flexibility and configurabilityto optimize the network services and types, accommodating various usecases such as enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), massive Machine-TypeCommunication (mMTC), and Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication(URLLC).

However, as the demand for radio access continues to increase, there isa need for further improvements in wireless communication for thenext-generation wireless communication system.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a method of multiplexing uplink controlinformation (UCI) and a related device.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a method for a userequipment (UE) multiplexing uplink control information (UCI) isprovided. The method comprises grouping physical uplink control channel(PUCCH) resources for Channel State Information (CSI) and a SchedulingRequest (SR) with a low priority and PUCCH resources for a slot-basedhybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) into a firstgroup of PUCCH resources, grouping PUCCH resources for CSI and a SR witha high priority and PUCCH resources for a sub-slot based HARQ-ACK into asecond group of PUCCH resources, determining a first set of PUCCHresources in a slot from the first group of PUCCH resources, obtainingfirst multiplexed UCI of a first PUCCH resource by performing a firstUCI multiplexing procedure for UCI corresponding to the first set ofPUCCH resources in the slot, determining a second set of PUCCH resourcesin a sub-slot of the slot from the second group of PUCCH resources, andobtaining second multiplexed UCI of a second PUCCH resource byperforming a second UCI multiplexing procedure for UCI corresponding tothe second set of PUCCH resources in the sub-slot of the slot.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a UE formultiplexing UCI is provided. The UE comprises a processor, forexecuting computer-executable instructions, and a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium, coupled to the processor, for storing thecomputer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executableinstructions instruct the processor to perform the method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the exemplary disclosure are best understood from thefollowing detailed description when read with the accompanying figures.Various features are not drawn to scale. Dimensions of various featuresmay be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic diagrams illustrating timing requirementsfor a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) in a slot-based HARQ-ACKPUCCH and a sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, according to animplementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sub-slot HARQ-ACK PUCCHgrouping, according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating construction of a set ofPUCCH resources, Q, according to an implementation of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for multiplexing UCI,according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a slot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCHoverlapping a sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, according to animplementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sub-slot based HARQ-ACKPUCCH overlapping a slot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, according to animplementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a PUCCH resource grouped witha sub-slot HARQ-ACK PUCCH, according to an implementation of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a node for wirelesscommunication, according to an implementation.

DESCRIPTION

The following description contains specific information pertaining toexemplary implementations in the present disclosure. The drawings andtheir accompanying detailed description are directed to exemplaryimplementations. However, the present disclosure is not limited to theseexemplary implementations. Other variations and implementations of thepresent disclosure will occur to those skilled in the art. Unless notedotherwise, like or corresponding elements in the figures may beindicated by like or corresponding reference numerals. Moreover, thedrawings and illustrations are generally not to scale and are notintended to correspond to actual relative dimensions.

For consistency and ease of understanding, like features are identified(although, in some examples, not shown) by numerals in the exemplaryfigures. However, the features in different implementations may bedifferent in other respects, and therefore shall not be narrowlyconfined to what is shown in the figures.

The phrases “in one implementation,” and “in some implementations,” mayeach refer to one or more of the same or different implementations. Theterm “coupled” is defined as connected, whether directly or indirectlyvia intervening components, and is not necessarily limited to physicalconnections. The term “comprising” may mean “including, but notnecessarily limited to” and specifically indicate open-ended inclusionor membership in the disclosed combination, group, series, andequivalents.

The term “and/or” herein is only an association relationship fordescribing associated objects and represents that three relationshipsmay exist, for example, A and/or B may represent that: A exists alone, Aand B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. “A and/or B and/or C”may represent that at least one of A, B, and C exists. Besides, thecharacter “/” used herein generally represents that the former andlatter associated objects are in an “or” relationship.

Additionally, any two or more of the following paragraphs,(sub)-bullets, points, actions, behaviors, terms, alternatives,examples, or claims in the present disclosure may be combined logically,reasonably, and properly to form a specific method. Any sentence,paragraph, (sub)-bullet, point, action, behaviors, terms, or claims inthe present disclosure may be implemented independently and separatelyto form a specific method. Dependency, e.g., “based on”, “morespecifically”, “preferably”, “In one embodiment”, “In oneimplementation”, “In one alternative”, in the present disclosure mayrefer to just one possible example that would not restrict the specificmethod.

For a non-limiting explanation, specific details, such as functionalentities, techniques, protocols, standards, and the like, are set forthfor providing an understanding of the disclosed technology. In otherexamples, detailed disclosure of well-known methods, technologies,systems, and architectures are omitted so as not to obscure the presentdisclosure with unnecessary details.

Persons skilled in the art will recognize that any disclosed networkfunction(s) or algorithm(s) may be implemented by hardware, software, ora combination of software and hardware. Disclosed functions maycorrespond to modules that may be software, hardware, firmware, or anycombination thereof. The software implementation may comprisecomputer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable mediumsuch as memory or other types of storage devices. For example, one ormore microprocessors or general-purpose computers with communicationprocessing capability may be programmed with corresponding executableinstructions and carry out the disclosed network function(s) oralgorithm(s). The microprocessors or general-purpose computers may beformed of Applications Specific Integrated Circuitry (ASIC),programmable logic arrays, and/or using one or more Digital SignalProcessors (DSPs). Although some of the disclosed implementations aredirected to software installed and executing on computer hardware,nevertheless, alternative implementations as firmware or as hardware orcombination of hardware and software are well within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

The computer-readable medium may include but may not be limited toRandom Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), ErasableProgrammable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically ErasableProgrammable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), flash memory, Compact Disc (CD)Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM), magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magneticdisk storage, or any other equivalent medium capable of storingcomputer-readable instructions.

A radio communication network architecture (e.g., a Long-Term Evolution(LTE) system, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, an LTE-Advanced Prosystem, or an NR system) may typically include at least one base station(BS), at least one UE, and one or more optional network elements thatprovide connection with a network. The UE may communicate with thenetwork (e.g., a Core Network (CN), an Evolved Packet Core (EPC)network, an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network(E-UTRAN), a Next-Generation Core (NGC), a 5G Core (5GC), or aninternet) via a Radio Access Network (RAN) established by one or moreBSs.

It should be noted that, in the present disclosure, a UE may include,but is not limited to, a mobile station, a mobile terminal or device, auser communication radio terminal. For example, a UE may be a portableradio equipment, that includes, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, atablet, a wearable device, a sensor, or a Personal Digital Assistant(PDA) with wireless communication capability. The UE may be configuredto receive and transmit signals over an air interface to one or morecells in a RAN.

A BS may include, but is not limited to, a node B (NB) as in theUniversal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), an evolved node B(eNB) as in the LTE-A, a Radio Network Controller (RNC) as in the UMTS,a Base Station Controller (BSC) as in the Global System for Mobilecommunications (GSM)/GSM Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)RAN (GERAN), a next-generation eNB (ng-eNB) as in an Evolved UniversalTerrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) BS in connection with the 5GC, anext-generation Node B (gNB) as in the 5G-RAN (or in the 5G AccessNetwork (5G-AN)), and any other apparatus capable of controlling radiocommunication and managing radio resources within a cell. The BS mayconnect to serve the one or more UEs via a radio interface to thenetwork.

A BS may be configured to provide communication services according to atleast one of the following Radio Access Technologies (RATs): WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), GSM (often referred to as2G), GERAN, General Packet Radio Service (GRPS), UMTS (often referred toas 3G) according to basic Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access(W-CDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), LTE, LTE-A, enhanced LTE(eLTE), NR) (often referred to as 5G), and/or LTE-A Pro. However, thescope of the present disclosure should not be limited to theseprotocols.

The BS may be operable to provide radio coverage to a specificgeographical area using a plurality of cells forming the RAN. The BS maysupport the operations of the cells. Each cell may be operable toprovide services to at least one UE within its radio coverage. Morespecifically, each cell (often referred to as a serving cell) mayprovide services to serve one or more UEs within its radio coverage,(e.g., each cell schedules the downlink (DL) and optionally uplink (UL)resources to at least one UE within its radio coverage for DL andoptionally UL packet transmissions). The BS may communicate with one ormore UEs in the radio communication system via the plurality of cells. Acell may allocate Sidelink (SL) resources for supporting ProximityService (ProSe), LTE SL services, and LTE/NR Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X)services. Each cell may have overlapped coverage areas with other cells.

In Multi-RAT Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) cases, the primary cell of aMaster Cell Group (MCG) or a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) may be called asa Special Cell (SpCell). A Primary Cell (PCell) may refer to the SpCellof an MCG. A Primary SCG Cell (PSCell) may refer to the SpCell of anSCG. MCG may refer to a group of serving cells associated with theMaster Node (MN), comprising the SpCell and optionally one or moreSecondary Cells (SCells). An SCG may refer to a group of serving cellsassociated with the Secondary Node (SN), comprising of the SpCell andoptionally one or more SCells.

As discussed previously, the frame structure for NR is to supportflexible configurations for accommodating various next-generation (e.g.,5G) communication requirements, such as eMBB, mMTC, and URLLC, whilefulfilling high reliability, high data rate, and low latencyrequirements. The orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)technology, as agreed in the 3^(rd) Generation Partnership Project(3GPP), may serve as a baseline for an NR waveform. The scalable OFDMnumerology, such as the adaptive sub-carrier spacing, the channelbandwidth, and the cyclic prefix (CP), may also be used. Additionally,two coding schemes are considered for NR: (1) low-density parity-check(LDPC) code and (2) polar code. The coding scheme adaption may beconfigured based on the channel conditions and/or the serviceapplications.

Moreover, it is also considered that in a transmission time interval ofa single NR frame, at least DL transmission data, a guard period, and ULtransmission data should be included, where the respective portions ofthe DL transmission data, the guard period, the UL transmission datashould also be configurable, for example, based on the network dynamicsof NR. Besides, an SL resource may also be provided via an NR frame tosupport ProSe services or V2X services.

In NR, multiple types of UCI may be used by a gNB to make schedulingdecisions. Some of which are dynamically scheduled (e.g., hybridautomatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK)), and some of whichare semi-statically configured (e.g., periodic channel state information(P-CSI)). It is hard for a gNB to always schedule UCI in a slot in whichno other UCI are configured due to latency requirements, resourceavailability, etc. Therefore, a rule for multiplexing and dropping UCIwhen multiple physical uplink control channels (PUCCHs) are overlappedin time has been specified in Rel-15 NR, so that a single PUCCH orphysical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) is transmitted at a time.

In NR, different PUCCHs may be configured with different startingsymbols in a slot. Similarly, PUSCHs can also be scheduled withdifferent starting symbols in the slot. The multiplexing procedureperforms the following steps iteratively. Firstly, a first PUCCH withthe earliest starting symbol and longest duration in the slot isdetermined, and a first group of PUCCHs overlapping with the first PUCCHis determined. Secondly, a second PUCCH (may be the same as or differentfrom the first PUCCH) carrying the multiplexed UCIs of the first PUCCHand the group of overlapping PUCCHs is determined from the first PUCCHand the group of overlapping PUCCHs. Thirdly, the multiplexing procedurethen proceeds to determine from the remaining PUCCH resources in theslot a second group of PUCCHs overlapping the second PUCCH, if any, anddetermine a third PUCCH (may be the same as or different from the secondPUCCH) carrying the multiplexed UCIs from the second PUCCH and thesecond group of overlapping PUCCHs. The multiplexing procedure isperformed iteratively until at most two non-overlapping PUCCHs isdetermined. After the multiplexed UCIs and the PUCCH carrying themultiplexed UCIs are determined, the UE multiplexes the multiplexed UCIson a PUSCH if the PUCCH carrying the multiplexed UCIs overlaps the PUSCHin time domain.

In addition, the scheduling made by the gNB should guarantee that theoverlapping PUCCH and PUSCH satisfies specific timeline requirements.The timeline requirements are applied to ensure the time duration fromthe ending time of a scheduling downlink control information (DCI) and aPDSCH to the starting time of the overlapping group of PUCCHs is longenough for a UE to process the received DCI and the PDSCH, and toprepare the UCI for the multiplexing procedure.

Moreover, in Rel-16 NR, it is agreed to introduce a sub-slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH for carrying HARQ-ACK information. The sub-slot HARQ-ACKPUCCH may be used to carry the HARQ-ACK codebook for a high prioritytraffic. One slot may consist of 14 symbols. The sub-slot configurationmay consist of 7 symbols (a.k.a., there are two sub-slots contained in aslot) or consist of 2 symbols (a.k.a., there are seven sub-slotscontained in a slot). Each sub-slot may apply the same PUCCH resourceconfiguration. The PUCCH resource configuration may be carried inPUCCH-Config in a radio resource control (RRC) configuration messagetransmitted by an gNB when a RRC connection is established between theUE and the gNB. Configuration of the starting symbol of a sub-slotHARQ-ACK PUCCH may be relative to the first symbol of the sub-slot inwhich the sub-slot HARQ-ACK PUCCH transmission starts. The sub-slot inwhich a sub-slot HARQ-ACK PUCCH transmission starts may be indicated byDCI scheduling a PDSCH corresponding to the PUCCH or may be configuredin a RRC configuration of a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) PDSCHcorresponding to the PUCCH. Configuration of the length of a sub-slotHARQ-ACK PUCCH may result in a last symbol of the sub-slot HARQ-ACKPUCCH located in the same sub-slot or different sub-slot than thesub-slot in which the sub-slot HARQ-ACK PUCCH transmission starts. It isallowable to transmit one or more HARQ-ACK PUCCHs in a slot in Rel-16NR, one or more than one for the HARQ-ACK codebook with a high priority,and one for the HARQ-ACK codebook with a low priority. As a result, itis unclear how the UCI multiplexing procedure is performed. There aretwo issues that should be considered.

Issue 1

With introduction of sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, UCI multiplexingprocedure may involve both slot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCH and sub-slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH. Since directly applying one UCI multiplexing procedureas in Rel-15 on slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCHs, sub-slot based HARQ-ACKPUCCHs and PUCCHs carrying other types of UCIs in a slot may cause somescheduling restriction, separate UCI multiplexing procedures onslot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCH and sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH should beconsidered. If the UCI multiplexing procedure is applied separately onslot based HARQ-ACK PUCCHs and sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCHs in a slot,the order of performing the UCI multiplexing procedure is undefinedAccordingly, it also needs to be disclosed in which multiplexingprocedure would the PUCCHs carrying other types of UCI be multiplexed.

Issue 2

Since a sub-slot HARQ-ACK is used for a URLLC traffic, the timelinerequirements for a group of overlapping PUCCHs may restrict thescheduling flexibility and increase the latency. Therefore, the timelinerequirements should be relaxed. The impact on the UCI multiplexingprocedure due to the relaxation of timeline requirements should also bespecified.

On the other hand, the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH and the slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH may correspond to different processing capabilities.Therefore, UCI multiplexing procedure may be affected. In addition,out-of-order HARQ-ACK PUCCH transmission may likely happen. That is, thePDSCH with a high priority arrives after the PDSCH with a low priority,but the corresponding HARQ-ACK PUCCH is in a reverse order. As a result,a processing for the PDSCH with a low priority may be affected, and atimeline of the UCI multiplexing procedure for the overlapping groupwith HARQ-ACK PUCCH for a low priority traffic is also affected.

To make the UCI multiplexing procedure more efficient with less PUCCHdropping, it is beneficial to group PUCCHs with slot based HARQ-ACKPUCCH and sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, and thus the UCI multiplexingprocedure may be performed separately for PUCCHs grouped with sub-slotbased HARQ-ACK PUCCH and PUCCHs grouped with slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH.

Principles for Grouping UCI

In one implementation, grouping is based on a duration of a PUCCH forUCI. If the duration of the PUCCH is longer than a sub-slot time unit,the PUCCH is grouped with the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. If the durationof the PUCCH is equal or shorter than a sub-slot time unit, the PUCCH isgrouped with the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. If the duration of thePUCCH is longer than a threshold (e.g., a time unit configured by a NW),the PUCCH is grouped with the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. If the durationof the PUCCH is equal or shorter than a threshold (e.g., a time unitconfigured by a NW), the PUCCH is grouped with the sub-slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH.

In one implementation, grouping mechanism is based on the duration ofthe PUCCH for a UCI. If the duration of the PUCCH is longer than asub-slot time unit, the PUCCH is grouped with the slot based HARQ-ACKPUCCH. If the duration of the PUCCH is equal or shorter than a sub-slottime unit, the PUCCH is grouped with both the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCHand sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. If the duration of the PUCCH islonger than a threshold (e.g., a time unit configured by a NW), thePUCCH is grouped with the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. If the duration ofthe PUCCH is equal or shorter than a threshold (e.g., a time unitconfigured by a network (NW)), the PUCCH is grouped with both the slotbased HARQ-ACK PUCCH and sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH.

In one implementation, a grouping mechanism is based on a priority ofUCI. If a priority of the UCI is higher than a threshold, the UCI isgrouped with the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. If a priority of the UCIis equal or lower than a threshold, the UCI is grouped with the slotbased HARQ-ACK PUCCH. The threshold may be a fixed value (e.g., 0). Thepriority of the UCI may be but not limited to, being configured by aninformation element (IE) included in a DL radio resource control (RRC)message received from a gNB. The priority may be indicated by a value.For example, a small value is represented as a low priority.

In one implementation, grouping mechanism is based on a priority of UCI.If a priority of the UCI is higher than a threshold, the UCI is groupedwith the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. If a priority of the UCI isequal or lower than a threshold, the UCI is grouped with the slot-basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH.

In one implementation, grouping mechanism is based on a PUCCH format forUCI. For example, if a resource includes a short PUCCH format for UCI(e.g. PUCCH format 0 or PUCCH format 2), the UCI is grouped with thesub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. If a resource includes a long PUCCHformat for UCI (e.g. PUCCH format 1, PUCCH format 3, or PUCCH format 4),the UCI is grouped with the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, or grouped withthe sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH and slot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCH.

In one implementation, the grouping mechanism is based on whether aPUCCH resource is configured with a sub-slot configuration. A UE may beconfigured with multiple of sub-slot configurations for a serving cellor a UL bandwidth part (BWP). One sub-slot configuration may, but is notlimited to, indicate the number of symbols included in each sub-slot. Asub-slot configuration may be associated with a PUCCH resourceconfiguration. For example, a PUCCH-Config is configured with a sub-slotconfiguration, which applies to all PUCCH resources configured in thePUCCH-Config. The UCI that is an indication to apply a PUCCH resourceconfiguration may be an implicit indication to apply the sub-slotconfiguration associated with the PUCCH resource. For example, if thesub-slot configuration is configured to the PUCCH resource, the PUCCHresource is grouped with the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. If thesub-slot configuration is not configured to the PUCCH resource, thePUCCH resource is grouped with the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, or groupedwith the slot based and sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH.

In one example of this implementation, it is noted that the sub-slotconfiguration may refer to a specific sub-slot configuration (e.g.,seven 2-symbol sub-slots in a slot or two 7-symbol sub-slots in a slot).It is noted that the specific configuration may correspond to aconfigured index.

In one example of this implementation, only the PUCCH for UCI appliedwith the same sub-slot configuration may be grouped.

In one implementation, the grouping mechanism is based on a type of UCI.For example, a specific type of the UCI (e.g., Scheduling Request (SR))may be grouped with the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. Another specifictype of the UCI (e.g., CSI) may be grouped with the slot based HARQ-ACKPUCCH. The specific type of the UCI may be configured with a priority.The UE may determine whether to group the specific type of the UCI withslot based or sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH according to the priority.

In some implementations, a PUCCH may be grouped with both slot-basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH and sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. Alternatively, a PUCCHmay be simultaneously grouped with both the slot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCHand the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH under a certain condition (e.g.,indication of UE capability). Whether a PUCCH grouped with bothslot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCH and sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH ismultiplexed with the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH or the sub-slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH depends on latency, reliability and PUCCH format capacityof the overlapping PUCCHs. The multiplexing may further depend on theorder of multiplexing procedures of the two groups, and/or whether theslot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH or the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH arescheduled.

As discussed previously, a priority of UCI may be applied for grouping.In one example, a priority of a HARQ-ACK PUCCH is based on a priorityindication of an associated HARQ-ACK codebook in DCI that schedules acorresponding PDSCH. The priority indication may be implicitly byaccording to DCI format, a Radio Network Temporary Identity (RNTI) usedto scramble a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), or a control resource set(CORESET) or a search space where the DCI is transmitted, or explicitlyby the DCI content.

In one example, a priority of a HARQ-ACK PUCCH is based on a predefinedvalue for the HARQ-ACK PUCCH. The predefined value may be configured bya higher layer that determines a priority for UCI. More specifically,the higher index may indicate a higher priority. The predefined valuemay be a fixed value associated with a PUCCH format of the HARQ-ACKPUCCH.

In one example, a priority of CSI is based on priority rules for CSIreports. The priority of the CSI may be configured in the configurationof a CSI report (e.g., CSI-ReportConfig). A priority of CSI may bedetermined according to types of CSI (e.g., aperiodic CSI,semi-persistent CSI, etc.). A priority of CSI may be determinedaccording to the content of the CSI. In one example, priority of CSI islow priority if no configuration or indication of priority is providedfor the PUCCH resource carrying the CSI.

In one example, a priority of a SR is based on a priority of a logicalchannel (e.g., priority configured in LogicalChannelConfig) thattriggers a SR procedure. For example, a SR configuration #1 with an SRID #1 may be triggered by a logical channel with priority #1, andanother SR configuration #2 with an SR ID #2 may be triggered by alogical channel with priority #2. It is noted that a SR configuration ofa logical channel that triggers the Buffer Status Report (BSR) isconsidered as a corresponding SR configuration for the triggered SR.)For example, the SR configuration #1 may be grouped with the sub-slotbased HARQ-ACK PUCCH. The SR configuration #2 may be grouped with theslot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. More specifically, a priority of a SRconfiguration may be indicated by a Media Access Control (MAC) layer toa physical (PHY) layer. In one example, priority of a SR may be providedby RRC configuration of the PUCCH resource carrying the SR.

As discussed previously, a threshold may be applied for grouping. In oneexample, the threshold is equal to the priority of the sub-slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH.

In one example, the threshold is equal to the priority of the sub-slotbased HARQ-ACK PUCCH plus an offset.

In one example, the threshold is equal to the product of the priority ofthe sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH and a scaling factor. The scalingfactor may be a configured value or a fixed value.

In one example, the threshold is equal to the priority of the slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH.

In one example, the threshold is equal to the priority of the slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH plus an offset.

In one example, the threshold is equal to the product of the priority ofthe slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH and a scaling factor. The scaling factormay be a configured value or a fixed value.

The offset and scaling factor may be configured by a higher layer. Theoffset and scaling factor are used when a priority value range of theHARQ-ACK PUCCH and other types of PUCCH are different. For example, ifthe priority value is ‘1’ for the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH and ‘2’for the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, and a priority value of SR PUCCH isfrom ‘1’ to ‘16’, then the threshold for SR grouping with the HARQ-ACKPUCCH may be set to the priority of the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCHmultiplied by a scaling factor (e.g, 8). Thus, the SR PUCCH withpriority value lower than ‘8’ may be grouped with the sub-slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH with the priority value of ‘1’. It is noted that thepriority value may be configured in a PUCCH configuration, a DCI field,or predefined in the 3GPP specification.

In one example, the threshold is individually configured by a gNB foreach UL BWP, and if the threshold is not configured, the UE may apply adefault value predefined in the 3GPP specification.

Q Set Construction

In Rel-15 NR, a PUCCH resource set Q (e.g., Q set) is constructed in aslot for UCI multiplexing, and the UCI multiplexing procedure is appliedto the PUCCH resources in the Q set in the slot. To perform more thanone multiplexing procedure in a slot, more than one Q set may beconstructed. In one implementation, two Q sets are constructed, each Qset includes each of the two groups previously disclosed. One Q setincludes the PUCCH resources of the group with the sub-slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH, denoted as Q1 set, and the other Q set includes PUCCHresources of the group with the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, denoted as Q2set. There are one Q1 set and one Q2 set in each slot.

In one implementation, one Q set is constructed in each sub-slot of aslot for the group with the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, denoted as Q1set, and one Q set are constructed in a slot for the group with the slotbased HARQ-ACK PUCCH, denoted as Q2 set. There are one or more Q1 setsand one Q2 set in each slot. In one example of this implementation, Q1set for a sub-slot other than the first sub-slot may be constructedafter a PUCCH determination of earlier sub-slots are made, and PUCCHsoverlapping with other PUCCHs determined from Q1 sets in earliersub-slots are not included. No Q1 set may be constructed for a sub-slot.

In one implementation, two Q sets are constructed in each sub-slot of aslot. One of the Q sets is for the group with the sub-slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH, denoted as the Q1 set, and one of the Q sets is for thegroup with the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, denoted as the Q2 set. Thereare one or more Q1 sets and one or more Q2 sets in each slot. In oneexample, the Q1 set is for a sub-slot other than the first sub-slot andmay be constructed after a PUCCH determination of earlier sub-slots ismade, and PUCCHs overlapping with other PUCCHs determined from Q1 setsin earlier sub-slots are not included. For construction of the Q2 setfor a sub-slot other than the first sub-slot, PUCCHs overlapping withother PUCCHs determined from Q1 sets in earlier sub-slots are notincluded. No Q1 set or no Q2 set may be constructed for a sub-slot.

In one implementation, Q1 set construction for a sub-slot is based on aPUCCH with the earliest starting symbol in the sub-slot. If the PUCCH isa non HARQ-ACK PUCCH and if the PUCCH overlaps at least one sub-slotbased HARQ-ACK PUCCH, one sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH with the latestending symbol is used as a reference PUCCH. Other non HARQ-ACK PUCCHsoverlapping with the reference are also included in the Q1 set for thesub-slot. It is noted that multiple sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCHs maybe included in the Q1 set if the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCHs overlapa non HARQ-ACK PUCCH with the earliest starting symbol in the sub-slot.

In one implementation, Q2 set construction for a sub-slot is based on aPUCCH with the earliest starting symbol in the sub-slot. If the PUCCH isa non HARQ-ACK PUCCH and if the PUCCH is overlaps at least one slotbased HARQ-ACK PUCCH, one slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH with a latest endingsymbol is used as a reference PUCCH. Other non HARQ-ACK PUCCHsoverlapping with the reference are also included in the Q2 set for thesub-slot. It is noted that multiple slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCHs may beincluded in the Q2 set if the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCHs overlap a nonHARQ-ACK PUCCH with the earliest starting symbol in the sub-slot.

In one implementation, a PUCCH resource is included in a Q1 set in asub-slot if the PUCCH resource is grouped with sub-slot HARQ-ACK PUCCHand the first symbol of the PUCCH resource is in the sub-slot.

In one implementation, one Q set including PUCCHs from the group withthe sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH and from the group with the slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH is constructed in a slot.

In one implementation, one Q set including PUCCHs from the group withthe sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH and from the group with the slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH is constructed in each sub-slot of a slot.

In one implementation, only the PUCCHs that conformed to multiplexingtimeline requirements are included in a Q set. A PUCCH determined fromthe Q set may be dropped if the PUCCH overlaps the other PUCCH not inthe Q set, and the other PUCCH is prioritized.

Overall Multiplexing/Prioritization Procedure

In one implementation, separate multiplexing procedures are performedfor different Q sets, where a multiplexing procedure is performed for aQ set as in Rel-15 NR, and multiplexing procedures performed for a Q setdoes not affect multiplexing procedures for another Q set. In otherwords, once a Q set is constructed, multiplexing procedure is performedon the Q set regardless of the multiplexing progress of other Q sets, orthe multiplexing procedure is performed on the Q set even PUCCHresources in the Q set overlapped the other Q sets.

In one implementation, separate multiplexing procedures are performedfor different Q sets, where a multiplexing procedure is performed for aQ set as in Rel-15 NR, and multiplexing procedures performed for one Q1set affects the multiplexing procedure for one or more Q2 sets. Forexample, when a PUCCH in a Q2 set overlaps a PUCCH determined from a Q1set, the PUCCH in the Q2 set may be excluded from the Q2 set. Foranother example, in case a single Q2 set is constructed for a slot, thetime for making a multiplexing decision for a group of overlappingPUCCHs in the Q2 set may be after the multiplexing decisions are madefor the Q1 sets in the sub-slot before the start of the group ofoverlapping PUCCHs.

After UCI to be multiplexed on the PUCCH is determined from a Q set, itis determined if the PUCCH overlaps a PUSCH. If the PUCCH overlaps aPUSCH, timeline requirements are checked, and if the timelinerequirements are fulfilled, further determination of the achievablelatency and reliability can be performed to decide whether the UCI ismultiplexed on the PUSCH, or one of the channels is dropped. In oneexample, whether the determined UCIs can be multiplexed on the PUSCHdepends on the priority of the logical channel of the data packet thatthe PUSCH carries.

If one or more PUCCHs are determined from one or more Q sets, and thePUCCHs overlaps a PUSCH, whether to multiplex UCI on the PUSCH orwhether to drop the PUSCH may be checked with a PUCCH that is determinedfirst. If the one or more PUCCHs are determined from the one or more Qsets simultaneously, whether to multiplex UCI on the PUSCH or whether todrop the PUSCH may be checked with the PUCCH with higher priority.

If the PUCCH determined from the group with the slot based HARQ-ACKPUCCH overlaps the PUCCH determined from the group with the sub-slotbased HARQ-ACK PUCCH, the PUCCH determined from the group with thesub-slot HARQ-ACK PUCCH is transmitted, while the PUCCH determined fromthe group with the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH is dropped.

In one implementation, a first PUCCH determined from a group with afirst sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH overlaps a second PUCCH determinedfrom the group with second sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. The firstPUCCH is transmitted, while the second PUCCH is dropped if one or morefollowing conditions are satisfied:

1. among the sub-slot configurations configured for the first and secondPUCCH, the sub-slot configuration configured for the first PUCCH has asmaller number of symbols per slot.

2. among the sub-slot configurations configured for the first and secondPUCCH, the sub-slot configuration index for the first PUCCH has asmaller value.

In one implementation, a first PUCCH determined from a group with afirst sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH overlaps a second PUCCH determinedfrom the group with second sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. The firstPUCCH is transmitted if the first sub-slot configuration is aconfiguration configured with a specific IE.

If the PUCCH determined from the group with slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH ismultiplexed on a PUSCH, and the PUSCH overlaps the PUCCH determined fromthe group with sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, the PUSCH may be dropped.

If the PUCCH determined from the group with sub-slot based HARQ-ACKPUCCH is multiplexed on a PUSCH, and the PUSCH overlaps the PUCCHdetermined from the group with slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, the PUCCH maybe dropped.

Timeline Requirements

For a group of overlapping PUCCHs, timeline requirements are defined forthe time duration between the end of a PDSCH corresponding to a PUCCH ina group of overlapping PUCCH and PUSCH to the start of the earliestPUCCH or PUSCH in the group of overlapping PUCCH and PUSCH, and the timeduration between the end of any scheduling DCI corresponding to a PUCCHor a PUSCH in the group of overlapping PUCCH and PUSCH to the start ofthe earliest PUCCH or PUSCH in the group of overlapping PUCCH and PUSCH.

In Rel-15 NR, timeline requirements are defined and a gNB may scheduleDL and UL channels fulfilling the timeline requirements. In Rel-16 NR,since URLLC traffic needs to be supported, it is reasonable not tomandate gNB to fulfill the timeline requirements. The timelinerequirements are restricted to the overlapping PUCCHs that contain onlyslot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH and the PUCCHs grouped with it. Possible ULchannels that may be scheduled without fulfilling multiplexing timelinerequirements are sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH and PUSCH.

When timeline requirements for Rel-15 NR are not met, UE behavior shouldbe disclosed.

In one scenario, the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH is scheduled tooverlap with a positive SR of the same priority, and the timelinerequirements for multiplexing are not met for the two UCIs to bemultiplexed. The positive SR is determined to be transmitted before theUE decodes the DCI scheduling the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH.

In one example, the sub-slot HARQ-ACK is transmitted if the SR is nottransmitted yet.

In one example, the sub-slot HARQ-ACK is not transmitted if the SRtransmission has started.

In one example, the sub-slot HARQ-ACK is transmitted and the SRtransmission is terminated if the SR transmission has started.

It is noted that the positive SR is determined from an overlapping groupof PUCCHs, including the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. In other words,at the time of determination of which PUCCH is transmitted, the DCIscheduling the HARQ-ACK has not been decoded.

In one scenario, the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH is scheduled tooverlap with a PUCCH determined from the group with slot based HARQ-ACKPUCCH. In this case, the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH is transmitted,and the PUCCH determined from the group with slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCHis terminated if the transmission has started.

In one scenario, a PUSCH is scheduled to overlap with a PUCCH determinedfrom the group with sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH or a PUCCH determinedfrom the group with slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. Whether the PUSCH isprioritized depends on the priority of the logical channel of the datapacket carried on the PUSCH and the priority of the UCI carried on thePUCCH.

In Rel-16 NR, to facilitate multiplexing between PUCCHs with highpriority, it is beneficial to relax the timeline requirements, since theoverlapping PUCCHs carrying less UCI bits or sequence-based PUCCH areused to multiplex the UCIs. The timeline requirements may be relaxed foroverlapping PUCCHs with higher priority. Relaxation can be realized byreduction of the parameters in timeline requirement equations, such as“N₁”, “N₂”, “d_(1,1)”, “d_(2,1)” as defined in 3GPP TS 38.214, etc.Reducing “N₁” and “N₂” may be realized by introducing a new UEcapability. Reducing “d_(1,1)” and “d_(2,1)” may be realized byintroducing a new UE capability or by restricting certain configurationfor the PUCCH or PUSCH for a higher priority. For example, “d_(2,1)” maybe reduced to ‘0’ by configuring the PUSCH with a higher priority orwith only a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) in the first symbol. Inone example, the timeline requirement may be relaxed by one symbol.Conditions for applying the relaxation can be specified (e.g., PUCCHformat and TBS limitation). The timeline requirement is disclosed.

If a UE transmits multiple overlapping PUCCHs in a slot or overlappingPUCCH(s) and PUSCH(s) in a slot, the UE may multiplex different UCItypes in one PUCCH. If one of the PUCCH transmissions or PUSCHtransmissions is in response to DCI format detection by the UE, the UEmay multiplex all corresponding UCI types, and the UE may expect thatthe first symbol s₀ of the earliest PUCCH or PUSCH, among a group ofoverlapping PUCCHs and PUSCHs in the slot, satisfies the followingtimeline conditions.

Condition 1: s₀ is not before a symbol with a CP starting afterT_(proc,1) ^(mux)=(N₁+d_(1,1))·(2048+144)·κ·2^(−μ)·T_(c) after a lastsymbol of any corresponding PDSCH, where μ corresponds to the smallestSubcarrier Spacing (SCS) configuration among the SCS configuration ofthe PDCCH scheduling the PDSCH, the SCS configuration of the PDSCH, andthe smallest SCS configuration for the group of overlapping PUCCHs andPUSCHs where the UE transmits HARQ-ACK information in response to thereception of the PDSCH. N₁, d_(1,1), μ, κ, and T_(c) are defined as in3GPP TS 38.214.

Condition 2: s₀ is not before a symbol with a CP starting afterT_(proc,release) ^(mux)=(N)·(2048+144)·κ·2^(−μ)·T_(c) after a lastsymbol of any corresponding SPS PDSCH release and μ corresponds to thesmallest SCS configuration among the SCS configuration of the PDCCHproviding the SPS PDSCH release and the smallest SCS configuration forthe group of overlapping PUCCHs or overlapping PUCCHs and PUSCHs wherethe UE transmits HARQ-ACK information in response to the detection ofthe SPS PDSCH release. N, μ, κ, and T_(c) are defined as in 3GPP TS38.214.

Condition 3: if there is no aperiodic CSI report multiplexed in a PUSCHin the group of overlapping PUCCHs and PUSCHs, s₀ is not before a symbolwith CP starting after T_(proc,2)^(mux)=max((N₂+d_(2,1))·(2048+144)·κ·2^(−μ)·T_(c), d_(2,2)) after a lastsymbol of:

-   -   a PDCCH with the DCI format scheduling the PUSCH; and    -   any PDCCH scheduling a PDSCH or SPS PDSCH release with        corresponding HARQ-ACK information in an overlapping PUCCH in        the slot, where μ corresponds to the smallest SCS configuration        among the SCS configuration of the PDCCHs and the smallest SCS        of the overlapping PUCCHs and PUSCHs, and d_(2,1)=d_(2,2)=0 if        there is no overlapping PUSCH. N₂, d_(2,1), μ, κ, and T_(c) are        defined as in 3GPP TS 38.214.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating timing requirements for aphysical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) 100 or 102 to a slot-basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH 104 and a sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 106, according toan implementation of the present disclosure. The PDSCHs 100 and 102 areout of order for the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 104 and the sub-slotbased HARQ-ACK PUCCH 106, as illustrated in FIG. 1. It is assumed thatthe sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 106 does not overlap the slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH 104, and the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 106 may or maynot overlap the CSI 108. Based on the UE capability and schedulingcondition (e.g., time separation of the two PDSCHs), the UE may or maynot be able to process the first scheduled PDSCH 100. If the UE is notable to process the first PDSCH 100, the UE may stop the processing ofthe first PDSCH 100 upon reception of the second DCI 112, and theHARQ-ACK codebook of the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 104 may be modified.The HARQ-ACK bits corresponding to PDSCH 100 in the HARQ-ACK codebookfor the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 104 may all be set tonegative-acknowledgment (NACK) or the HARQ-ACK bits for the Code BlockGroups (CBGs) of the TB in PDSCH 100 that are not processed are set toNACK. It is noted that, if UE stops the processing of the first PDSCH100 upon reception of the second DCI 112, the UE may instruct an upperlayer (e.g., the MAC layer) to stop the corresponding HARQ process.

In an example, if the UE stops the processing of the first PDSCH 100upon reception of the second DCI 112, the PHY layer may receive aHARQ-ACK feedback instruction from the MAC layer, the PHY layer mayignore the instruction corresponding to the HARQ process of a first DCI110. Moreover, if the UE stops the processing of the first PDSCH 100upon reception of the second DCI 112, the UE may replace the transportblock (TB) stored in a soft buffer with the received TB.

In one scenario, the first PDSCH 100 is out of order with a second PDSCH102. It is assumed that the first HARQ-ACK PUCCH may or may not overlapa second HARQ-ACK PUCCH. The UE may stop the processing of the firstPDSCH 100 upon reception of the DCI 112 of the second PDSCH 102 if thesecond HARQ-ACK PUCCH of the second PDSCH 102 is within sub-slotconfiguration while the first HARQ-ACK PUCCH of the first PDSCH 100 iswithin slot configuration.

In one scenario, the first PDSCH 100 is out of order with a second PDSCH102. It is assumed that the first HARQ-ACK PUCCH may or may not overlapthe second HARQ-ACK PUCCH. The UE may stop the processing of the firstPDSCH 100 upon reception of the DCI 112 of the second PDSCH 102 if bothof the first and second HARQ-ACK PUCCH are within different sub-slotconfigurations and the number of symbols contained in a sub-slot for thesecond sub-slot configuration is less than the number of symbolscontained in a sub-slot for first sub-slot configuration.

In case that the HARQ-ACK codebook needs to be modified, the DCI 112scheduling the second PDSCH 102 should satisfy the T_(proc,2) ^(mux)timeline requirement, even though the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 106does not overlap the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 104. In other words, theDCI 112 scheduling the second PDSCH 102 should end before T_(proc,2)^(mux) prior to the start of the overlapping PUCCHs with slot-basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH 104. Since the timeline requirement may be restrictive,it is beneficial to specify the UE's behavior when the timelinerequirement is not met. For example, in case that a PUCCH with theearliest starting symbol does not satisfy the timeline requirement, thePUCCH is excluded from the overlapping PUCCHs before the multiplexingprocedure is performed. The exclusion of PUCCHs is until timelinerequirements for the remaining overlapping PUCCHs are met, or until theslot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 104 remains. As illustrated in FIG. 1, in caseT_(proc,2) ^(mux) prior to the start of CSI 108 is before the end of theDCI 112 scheduling the second PDSCH 102, the CSI 108 is dropped.

In one scenario, the PDSCHs 200 and 202 are in-order for the slot-basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH 204 and sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 206, as illustratedin FIG. 2. It is assumed that the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 206 doesnot overlap the slot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 204, and the sub-slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH 206 may or may not overlap the CSI 208. Based on the UEcapability and the scheduling condition (e.g., time separation of thetwo PDSCHs), the UE may or may not be able to process the firstscheduled PDSCH 200. If the UE is not able to process the first PDSCH200, the UE may stop the processing of the first PDSCH 200 uponreception of the second DCI 212, and the HARQ-ACK codebook of the slotbased HARQ-ACK PUCCH 204 may be modified. The HARQ-ACK bitscorresponding to PDSCH 200 in the HARQ-ACK codebook for the slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH 204 may all be set to NACK or the HARQ-ACK bits for theCBGs of the TB in PDSCH 200 that are not processed are set to NACK. Incase that the first PDSCH 200 is scheduled with PDSCH processingcapability 2 (as defined in Section 5.3 in 3GPP TS 38.214), with morethan 136 RBs, and the ending symbol is within 10 symbols of the start ofthe second PDSCH 202 that is scheduled to follow PDSCH processingcapability 2 (as defined in Section 5.3 in 3GPP TS 38.214), the firstPDSCH 200 may be dropped.

For the above cases, for multiplexing PUCCHs, the T_(proc,2) ^(mux)timeline requirement should be satisfied between the scheduling DCI 212of the second PDSCH 202 and the group of overlapping PUCCHs with theslot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 204, even though the sub-slot based HARQ-ACKPUCCH 206 does not overlap the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 204.

Since the timeline requirement may be restrictive, it is beneficial tospecify the UE's behavior when the timeline requirement is not met. Forexample, in case that a PUCCH with the earliest starting symbol does notsatisfy the timeline requirement, the PUCCH is excluded from theoverlapping PUCCHs before the multiplexing procedure is performed or theUE may not expect the resource that does not satisfy the timelinerequirement to overlap with any other PUCCH or PUSCH. The exclusion ofPUCCHs is until the timeline requirement for the remaining overlappingPUCCHs is met, or until only the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH remains. Inaddition, in case that a time duration between the end of the DCIscheduling the second PDSCH and the start of the slot-based HARQ-ACKPUCCH is less than T_(proc,2), the UE may drop the slot-based HARQ-ACKPUCCH, if the transmission has started.

Multiplexing Order

In a sub-slot where both PUCCHs overlap a slot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCH andPUCCHs that overlap a sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH exist, amultiplexing procedure for which Q set should be performed first maydepend on the factors discussed above, such as whether a PUCCH isincluded in more than one Q set and more than one Q set contains PUCCHresources from both the group of PUCCH resources grouped with slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH and the group of PUCCH resources grouped with sub-slotbased HARQ-ACK PUCCH, whether construction of a Q set in a sub-slot isafter a multiplexing procedure is performed for Q sets in sub-slotsbefore the sub-slot, PDSCH processing capability, etc. In the scenariothat a PUCCH is only grouped with either the slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCHor the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, the multiplexing order may simplybe determined from the starting symbol of the overlapping PUCCHs, suchthat the overlapping group with an earlier starting symbol is determinedfirst. In case the starting symbol of the slot or sub-slot in which Qsets are constructed is the same, the multiplexing order for the Q setscan be fixed or arbitrary. For example, multiplexing procedure for the Qset containing PUCCH resources with a higher priority is performedfirst.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example for a Q set construction and multiplexingprocedure in a slot including both slot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCH andsub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH. In this example, up to one Q1 set and oneQ2 set are constructed for a sub-slot. FIG. 3 illustrates the ULchannels for this example. It is assumed that SR 1 300 and SR 2 302 areconfigured with a higher priority, and may be grouped with the sub-slotHARQ-ACK PUCCH (e.g., from “sub-slot HARQ-ACK 1” to “sub-slot HARQ-ACK7”). Other UL channels are grouped with the slot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCHs304 and 306 (e.g., “slot HARQ-ACK 1” and “slot HARQ-ACK 2”).

In the first sub-slot, since the SR 1 300 is started earliest in thefirst sub-slot and with the longest duration of the PUCCHs that may beincluded in the Q1 set, the SR 1 300 is determined as the referenceresource for construction of the Q1 set in the first sub-slot. Since twosub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCHs (“sub-slot HARQ-ACK 1” and “sub-slotHARQ-ACK 2” overlap the reference resource (e.g., the SR 1 300), theyare included in the Q1 set in the first sub-slot. For the Q2 set in thefirst sub-slot, the slot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 304 (e.g., “slot HARQ-ACK1”) is determined as the reference resource, and the overlappingresource in the same group (e.g., the CSI 308 is included in the Q2 setin the first sub-slot).

In the second sub-slot, since no resources are left, the Q1 set and Q2set are not constructed.

In the third sub-slot, the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH (e.g.,“sub-slot HARQ-ACK 3”) is included in the Q1 set in the third sub-slot.

In the fourth sub-slot, the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH (e.g.,“sub-slot HARQ-ACK 4”) is determined as the reference resource, and theoverlapping resource in the same group, (e.g., the SR 2 302 is includedin the Q1 set in the fourth sub-slot).

In the fifth sub-slot, the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH (e.g.,“sub-slot HARQ-ACK 5”) is included in the Q1 set in the fifth sub-slot.For the Q2 set in the fifth sub-slot, the slot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCH 2306 is determined as the reference resource, and the overlappingresource in the same group (e.g., the SR 3 310 is included in the Q2 setin the fifth sub-slot).

In the sixth sub-slot, the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH (e.g.,“sub-slot HARQ-ACK 6”) is included in the Q1 set.

In the seventh sub-slot, the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH (e.g.,“sub-slot HARQ-ACK 7”) is included in the Q1 set.

It is noted that, when constructing a Q1 set or Q2 set in a sub-slot ifa PUCCH is overlapped with a PUCCH determined to be transmitted inprevious sub-slots with the same or higher priority, the PUCCH is notincluded in the Q1 set or Q2 set in the sub-slot.

To summarize, the Q1 and Q2 sets in each sub-slot are constructed asfollows.

First sub-slot: the Q1 set in the first sub-slot includes “sub-slotHARQ-ACK 1”, “sub-slot HARQ-ACK 2”, and SR 1 300. The Q2 set in thefirst sub-slot includes “slot HARQ-ACK 1”, and CSI 308.

Second sub-slot: no Q1 set or Q2 set is constructed.

Third sub-slot: the Q1 set in the third sub-slot includes “sub-slotHARQ-ACK 3”.

Fourth sub-slot: the Q1 set in the fourth sub-slot includes “sub-slotHARQ-ACK 4” and SR 2 302.

Fifth sub-slot: the Q1 set in the fifth sub-slot may not be constructedif SR 2 302 has been determined to be transmitted in the previoussub-slot and SR 2 302 has higher priority. Otherwise, the Q1 set in thefifth sub-slot includes “sub-slot HARQ-ACK 5”. The Q2 set in the fifthsub-slot may not be constructed if SR 2 302 is transmitted. Otherwise,the Q2 set in the fifth sub-slot includes “slot HARQ-ACK 2”, and SR 3310. It is noted that construction of the Q2 set may not necessarily bedependent on the existence of slot-based HARQ-ACK. For example, if “slotHARQ-ACK 2” was not configured, then the Q2 set is formed by SR 3 310for the fifth sub-slot.

Sixth sub-slot: the Q1 set in the sixth sub-slot may not be constructedif SR 2 302 has been determined to be transmitted in the previoussub-slot and SR 2 302 has higher priority. Otherwise, the Q1 set in thesixth sub-slot includes “sub-slot HARQ-ACK 6”.

Seventh sub-slot: the Q1 set in the seventh sub-slot includes “sub-slotHARQ-ACK 7”.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating construction of a set ofPUCCH resources, Q, according to an implementation of the presentdisclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 4, a Q set construction in eachsub-slot in a slot is illustrated. A procedure for Q1 set constructioncan be summarized in the flow chart illustrated in FIG. 4. For Q2 setconstruction, a similar procedure may be performed in the same manner.The UE determines whether any configured resource is starting in thesub-slot (action 402). If no configured resource is starting in thesub-slot, the UE proceeds to the next sub-slot (action 404). If yes, theUE determines whether any resource overlaps PUCCH or PUSCH with higherpriority determined from the previous sub-slots (action 406). If thereis a resource overlapping PUCCH or PUSCH, the UE may exclude theresources (action 408). In addition, the UE determines if any configuredresource starts in the sub-slot (action 410). If no configured resourcestarts in the sub-slot, the UE proceeds to the next sub-slot (action404). On the other hand, if a configured resource starts in thesub-slot, the UE determines the reference resource and includes theoverlapping resources in the Q1 set (action 412).

It is noted that, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the UE further determines asingle PUCCH from the Q1 set and the multiplexed UCIs from PUCCHresources included in the Q1 set, and determines if there ismultiplexing of the PUCCH on an overlapping PUSCH (action 414). In onealternative, at most two PUCCH resources and multiplexed UCIs for eachPUCCH resource may be determined from the PUCCH resources included inthe Q1 set. The at most two PUCCH resources include at most one sub-slotHARQ-ACK PUCCH. In addition, the UE excludes the multiplexed PUCCHs fromthe slot (action 416). In one alternative, the multiplexed PUCCHs referto all PUCCH resources included in the Q1 set in the sub-slot.

Furthermore, in one example, Q sets are constructed per slot. Two Q sets(e.g., Q1 set and Q2 set) are determined for each slot. The Q1 setcontains all the configured PUCCHs grouped with a sub-slot basedHARQ-ACK PUCCH in the slot, and the Q2 set contains all the configuredPUCCHs grouped with a slot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCH in the slot, except forthe PUCCHs that are excluded.

The multiplexing procedure starts from the first sub-slot of a slot, andis performed in each sub-slot until the last sub-slot of the slot. Ineach sub-slot, up to two multiplexing procedures are performed.

For a first multiplexing procedure, in each sub-slot, a resource A1 isdetermined following the priority order of the earliest starting symbol(within the sub-slot) followed by the longest duration from the Q1 set.A resource set X1 that contains the PUCCHs overlapping the resource A1is determined from the Q1 set. The resource set X1 should contain onlythe HARQ-ACK PUCCHs with the starting symbol contained in the sub-slot.A single PUCCH and the UCIs to be multiplexed on the PUCCH aredetermined from resource A1 and resource set X1. It is noted thatresource set X1 may not exist and no PUCCH or no UCI is determined whenthe sub-slot HARQ-ACK PUCCH is not scheduled.

Resource exclusion may be performed for the Q1 set. After a multiplexingdecision is made in a sub-slot, resources may be excluded from the Q1set if it overlaps a scheduled sub-slot HARQ-ACK PUCCH in previoussub-slots.

For a second multiplexing procedure, in a sub-slot that contains thefirst symbol of a group of overlapping PUCCHs in the Q2 set, a resourceA2 is determined following the priority order of the earliest startingsymbol followed by the longest duration from Q2 set, if there is PUCCHwith starting symbol in the sub-slot. A resource set X2 that containsthe PUCCHs overlapping resource A2 is determined from the Q2 set. Asingle PUCCH and the UCIs to be multiplexed on the PUCCH are determinedfrom resource A2 and resource set X2. The determined single PUCCH andthe UCIs replace resource A2 and resource set X2, and the procedure isperformed until there are no remaining PUCCHs overlapping the determinedPUCCH.

Resource exclusion may be performed for the Q2 set. After themultiplexing decision is made in a sub-slot, resources may be excludedfrom the Q2 set if it overlaps a scheduled sub-slot HARQ-ACK PUCCH orother PUCCH with a higher priority in previous sub-slots.

The first and second multiplexing procedures may be performed in turn.That is, after the first multiplexing procedure in the previoussub-slots is completed, the second multiplexing procedure in the currentsub-slot is performed.

The order of performing the first and second multiplexing procedures canbe the following.

In one implementation, the order of performing the first multiplexingprocedure and the second multiplexing procedure in a sub-slot is at thesame time.

In one implementation, the order of performing the first multiplexingprocedure and the second multiplexing procedure in a sub-slot is thefirst multiplexing procedure followed by the second multiplexingprocedure.

In one implementation, the order of performing the first multiplexingprocedure and the second multiplexing procedure in a sub-slot is thesecond multiplexing procedure followed by the first multiplexingprocedure.

In one implementation, the order of performing the first multiplexingprocedure and the second multiplexing procedure in a sub-slot depends onwhether resource A1 or resource A2 in the sub-slot has an earlierstarting symbol.

For multiplexing on a PUSCH, the determined UCIs from the firstmultiplexing procedure or second multiplexing procedure are multiplexedin a PUSCH if the determined PUCCH overlaps the PUSCH and the timelinerequirements for multiplexing the PUCCH and PUSCH are met.

In one implementation, the condition for multiplexing the PUCCH andPUSCH also depends on the achievable reliability of the PUSCH.

In addition, prioritization for the two PUCCHs is determined accordingto different multiplexing procedures.

A PUCCH determined from the Q2 set is dropped if a PUCCH determined fromthe Q1 set overlaps the PUCCH of the Q2 set.

Prioritization of two PUCCHs is determined for different sub-slots inthe Q1 set.

A PUCCH determined from a sub-slot (can be from Q1 set or Q2 set) mayoverlap a sub-slot HARQ-ACK PUCCH scheduled in a later sub-slot, and thetwo overlapping PUCCHs may not satisfy multiplexing timelinerequirements. In this case, the PUCCH determined from the previoussub-slot is dropped and the sub-slot HARQ-ACK PUCCH is transmitted if itis determined that the sub-slot HARQ-ACK PUCCH has higher priority.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method 500 for multiplexing UCI(e.g., CSI and SR), according to an implementation of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 5 illustrates a UE performing a UCI multiplexingprocedure. In action 502, the UE groups PUCCH resources for CSI and SRwith a low priority and PUCCH resources for a slot-based HARQ-ACK into afirst group of PUCCH resources. In action 504, the UE groups PUCCHresources for CSI and SR with a high priority and PUCCH resources for asub-slot based HARQ-ACK into a second group of PUCCH resources. Inaction 506, the UE determines a first set of PUCCH resources in a slotfrom the first group of PUCCH resources. In action 508, the UE obtainsfirst multiplexed UCI of a first PUCCH resource by performing a firstUCI multiplexing procedure for UCI corresponding to the first set ofPUCCH resources in the slot. In action 510, the UE determines a secondset of PUCCH resources in a sub-slot of the slot from the second groupof PUCCH resources. In action 512, the UE obtains second multiplexed UCIof a second PUCCH resource by performing a second UCI multiplexingprocedure for UCI corresponding to the second set of PUCCH resources inthe sub-slot of the slot. It is noted that there is no timing orderbetween action 502 and action 504. It is noted that there is no timingorder between action 506 and action 510. It is noted that there is notiming order between action 508 and action 512.

Based on the method 500 in FIG. 5, several cases for UCI multiplexingand transmission are disclosed. With reference to FIG. 6, the SR withhigh priority (e.g., “HP SR” and the sub-slot based HARQ-ACK (e.g.,“sub-slot HARQ-ACK”) are grouped, and CSI with low priority (e.g., “LPCSI”) and SR with low priority (e.g., “LP SR”) are grouped. In addition,the UE determines a first PUCCH resource set in the slot including “LPCSI” and “LP SR”, and perform the UCI multiplexing procedure for thefirst PUCCH resource set to obtain the multiplexed UCI (e.g., “LPCSI+SR”), and the UE determines a second PUCCH resource set including“HP SR” and “sub-slot HARQ-ACK” in the first sub-slot of the slot, andperforms the UCI multiplexing procedure for the second PUCCH resourceset, in order to obtain the multiplexed UCI (e.g., “sub-slot HARQ ACK+HPSR”).

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a slot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCHoverlapping a sub-slot based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, according to animplementation of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 6, theUE transmits the multiplexed UCI (e.g., “LP CSI+SR”) only if the PUCCHresource 600 for transmitting “LP CSI+SR” does not overlap the PUCCHresource 602 for transmitting “sub-slot HARQ ACK+HP SR”. Otherwise, theUE dose not transmit the multiplexed UCI (e.g., “LP CSI+SR”).

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sub-slot based HARQ-ACKPUCCH overlapping a slot-based HARQ-ACK PUCCH, according to animplementation of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 7, theUE multiplexes the PUCCH resource 700 for transmitting “sub-slot HARQACK+HP SR” on the PUSCH resource 702 when the PUSCH resource 702overlaps the PUCCH resource 700, and may multiplex the PUCCH resource704 for transmitting “LP CSI+SR” on the PUSCH resource 702 when thePUSCH resource 702 overlaps the PUCCH resource 704 but does not overlapthe PUCCH resource 700. In this case, since the PUSCH resource 702overlaps both the PUCCH resource 704 and the PUCCH resource 700, the UEmultiplexes only the PUCCH resource 700 for transmitting “sub-slot HARQACK+HP SR” on the PUSCH resource 702, and transmits the “sub-slot HARQACK+HP SR” with the PUSCH resource 702.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a PUCCH resource grouped witha sub-slot HARQ-ACK PUCCH, according to an implementation of the presentdisclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the UE may include PUCCH resourceswith starting symbols in the sub-slot of the slot (e.g., action 800) inthe second set of PUCCH resources (e.g., CSI and/or SR with a highpriority and sub-slot based HARQ-ACK as illustrated in action 504 ofFIG. 5), and UE may determine a PUCCH resource by performingmultiplexing procedure on the second set of PUCCH resources (e.g.,action 802). The UE may then proceed to the next sub-slot of the slot(e.g., action 804).

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a node 900 for wirelesscommunication according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the node 900 may include a transceiver 920, aprocessor 926, a memory 928, one or more presentation components 934,and at least one antenna 936. The node 900 may also include a RadioFrequency (RF) spectrum band module, a BS communications module, anetwork communications module, and a system communications managementmodule, input/output (I/O) ports, I/O components, and a power supply(not illustrated in FIG. 9). Each of these components may be incommunication with each other, directly or indirectly, over one or morebuses 940. The node 900 may be a UE or a BS that performs variousdisclosed functions as illustrated in FIG. 5.

The transceiver 920 may include a transmitter 922 (with transmittingcircuitry) and a receiver 924 (with receiving circuitry) and may beconfigured to transmit and/or receive time and/or frequency resourcepartitioning information. The transceiver 920 may be configured totransmit in different types of subframes and slots including, but notlimited to, usable, non-usable and flexibly usable subframes and slotformats. The transceiver 920 may be configured to receive data andcontrol channels.

The node 900 may include a variety of computer-readable media.Computer-readable media may be any media that can be accessed by thenode 900 and include both volatile (and non-volatile) media, removable(and non-removable) media. Computer-readable media may include computerstorage media and communication media. Computer storage media mayinclude both volatile (and/or non-volatile), as well as removable(and/or non-removable) media implemented according to any method ortechnology for storage of information such as computer-readable media.

Computer storage media may include RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory(or other memory technology), CD-ROM, Digital Versatile Disks (DVD) (orother optical disk storage), magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magneticdisk storage (or other magnetic storage devices), etc. Computer storagemedia do not include a propagated data signal. Communication media maytypically embody computer-readable instructions, data structures,program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as acarrier wave or other transport mechanisms and include any informationdelivery media. The term “modulated data signal” may mean a signal thathas one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manneras to encode information in the signal. Communication media may includewired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, andwireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.Combinations of any of the disclosed media should be included within thescope of computer-readable media.

The memory 928 may include computer-storage media in the form ofvolatile and/or non-volatile memory. The memory 928 may be removable,non-removable, or a combination thereof. For example, the memory 928 mayinclude solid-state memory, hard drives, optical-disc drives, etc. Asillustrated in FIG. 9, the memory 928 may store computer-readable and/orcomputer-executable instructions 932 (e.g., software codes) that areconfigured to, when executed, cause the processor 926 (e.g., processingcircuitry) to perform various disclosed functions. Alternatively, theinstructions 932 may not be directly executable by the processor 926 butmay be configured to cause the node 900 (e.g., when compiled andexecuted) to perform various disclosed functions.

The processor 926 may include an intelligent hardware device, a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an ASIC, etc. The processor926 may include memory. The processor 926 may process the data 930 andthe instructions 932 received from the memory 928, and informationthrough the transceiver 920, the baseband communications module, and/orthe network communications module. The processor 926 may also processinformation to be sent to the transceiver 920 for transmission via theantenna 936, to the network communications module for transmission to aCN.

One or more presentation components 934 may present data to a person orother devices. Presentation components 934 may include a display device,a speaker, a printing component, a vibrating component, etc.

From the present disclosure, it is evident that various techniques canbe utilized for implementing the concepts of the present disclosurewithout departing from the scope of those concepts. Moreover, while theconcepts have been disclosed with specific reference to specificimplementations, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognizethat changes can be made in form and detail without departing from thescope of those concepts. As such, the present disclosure is to beconsidered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Itshould also be understood that the present disclosure is not limited tothe particular described implementations, but that many rearrangements,modifications, and substitutions are possible without departing from thescope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for a user equipment (UE) multiplexinguplink control information (UCI), the method comprising: groupingphysical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources for Channel StateInformation (CSI) and a Scheduling Request (SR) with a low priority andPUCCH resources for a slot-based hybrid automatic repeat requestacknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) into a first group of PUCCH resources;grouping PUCCH resources for CSI and a SR with a high priority and PUCCHresources for a sub-slot based HARQ-ACK into a second group of PUCCHresources; determining a first set of PUCCH resources in a slot from thefirst group of PUCCH resources; obtaining first multiplexed UCI of afirst PUCCH resource by performing a first UCI multiplexing procedurefor UCI corresponding to the first set of PUCCH resources in the slot;determining a second set of PUCCH resources in a sub-slot of the slotfrom the second group of PUCCH resources; and obtaining secondmultiplexed UCI of a second PUCCH resource by performing a second UCImultiplexing procedure for UCI corresponding to the second set of PUCCHresources in the sub-slot of the slot.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: transmitting the first multiplexed UCI of the first PUCCHresource in response to the first PUCCH resource not overlapping thesecond PUCCH resource.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:multiplexing the second multiplexed UCI of the second PUCCH resource ona PUSCH resource in response to the PUSCH resource overlapping thesecond PUCCH resource; and multiplexing the first multiplexed UCI of thefirst PUCCH resource on the PUSCH resource in response to the PUSCHresource overlapping the first PUCCH resource and not overlapping thesecond PUCCH resource.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining a PUCCH resource to be in the second set of PUCCH resourcesin response to a first symbol of the PUCCH resource being in thesub-slot of the slot.
 5. A user equipment (UE) for multiplexing uplinkcontrol information (UCI), the UE comprising: a processor, for executingcomputer-executable instructions; and a non-transitory computer-readablemedium, coupled to the processor, for storing the computer-executableinstructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions instruct theprocessor to: group physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resourcesfor Channel State Information (CSI) and a Scheduling Request (SR) with alow priority and PUCCH resources for a slot-based hybrid automaticrepeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) into a first group of PUCCHresources; group PUCCH resources for CSI and a SR with a high priorityand PUCCH resources for a sub-slot based HARQ-ACK into a second group ofPUCCH resources; determine a first set of PUCCH resources in a slot fromthe first group of PUCCH resources; obtain first multiplexed UCI of afirst PUCCH resource by performing a first UCI multiplexing procedurefor UCI corresponding to the first set of PUCCH resources in the slot;determine a second set of PUCCH resources in a sub-slot of the slot fromthe second group of PUCCH resources; and obtain second multiplexed UCIof a second PUCCH resource by performing a second UCI multiplexingprocedure for UCI corresponding to the second set of PUCCH resources inthe sub-slot of the slot.
 6. The UE of claim 5, wherein thecomputer-executable instructions further instruct the processor to:transmit the first multiplexed UCI of the first PUCCH resource inresponse to the first PUCCH resource not overlapping the second PUCCHresource.
 7. The UE of claim 5, wherein the computer-executableinstructions further instruct the processor to: multiplex the secondmultiplexed UCI of the second PUCCH resource on a PUSCH in response tothe PUSCH overlapping the second PUCCH resource; and multiplex the firstmultiplexed UCI of the first PUCCH resource on the PUSCH in response tothe PUSCH resource overlapping the first PUCCH resource and notoverlapping the second PUCCH resource.
 8. The UE of claim 5, wherein thecomputer-executable instructions further instruct the processor to:determine a PUCCH resource to be in the second set of PUCCH resources inresponse to a first symbol of the PUCCH resource being in the sub-slotof the slot.